


Run

by mhei_lynn



Series: The General and His Highness [5]
Category: Yuehua, 乐华七子NEXT | NEX7, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Death, Gen, IMSORRY, Murder, Non graphic description of rape, Zeren centric, this happened before the rest of series, this sucks please dont read this this, zhengting is evil here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mhei_lynn/pseuds/mhei_lynn
Summary: In the end, he still can't run
Series: The General and His Highness [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1103184
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Run

**Run**

The first time Zeren had blood on his hands, he was ten.

Zeren was scared, he grabbed a broken bottle and stabbed the person trapping him.

He saw the blood stain his clothes and hands.

“You…” The guy grunted, breaths ragged “I’m going to kill you little bastard”

Zeren stabbed him again. He saw how his chest stopped moving up and down, he ran.

He went to a stream, the one the villagers don’t go to because there’s a closer one.

He tried to wash the blood away, scrubbing himself clean.

“go away, go away…” he muttered, scrubbing his tunic.

“Do you mean me?” Zeren fell into the water, spooked by the voice.

The colour on Zeren’s face faded as he laid eyes to the owner of the voice.

Bright skin, shiny accessories, and silky clothes.

Zeren panicked. A noble saw him, he’s going to be punished. _What if they killed him?_

“Come on” the older boy (maybe around 12 summers?) dragged him all the way to a gigantic mansion.

Zeren wanted to break free and run, but something about the boy’s eyes and smile says he shouldn’t.

He dragged him to a tent. “Dress him,” the boy said to the servants stationed outside the tent, “This boy is now my servant”

_What?_

Zeren stared at him, confused.

The servants dressed him. If they had noticed the blood splatters, they didn’t say anything.

Dinner time came and the servants told him to simply pour a drink in the boy’s (master’s?) cup when he saw it was going empty.

Another person barged into the room. “Lord Xu’s son was found dead” he announced.

Zeren froze stiff. _‘He was a lord’s son’_ he dreaded.

“My God, who has done it?” Everyone kept on murmuring about the incident, yet the lord sitting at the head of the table remained quiet.

Zeren felt himself shake with fear. In the corner of his sight, he could see the boy eyeing him intently.

His stomach churned. _‘Did he know?’_

“Zhengting” the lord called.

“Yes, father?” the boy answered and his heart dropped.

_He knows and he’s going to tell them. He needs to hide, run, esca-_

Zeren caught his eyes again and just stopped immediately.

“You were in town all afternoon, have you seen anything?”

“No my lord” he calmly replied, sneaking another glance at him.

Zeren felt a swirl of relief.

The dinner went on without another interruption.

-=-=-=-

“I saw you, you know?”

Zeren stopped, quickly thinking if he should flee or explain.

He chose the latter.

“My lord, I can expla-“

“There is no need for that. In fact, I wanted to thank you”

_What_

Zhengting laughed at his dumbfounded look.

“That man was perverted, snobby, and idiotic. Can you believe he had the decency to ask my hand for marriage?” Zhengting huffed.

“He wasn’t even the first son! He was fifth, _fifth._ The nerve of some people…” he scoffed.

His eyes met the boy and Zeren flinched. He should have run when he had the chance. Zeren felt terrified, this man felt glee at the death of another.

“Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone” Zhengting smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Let’s be friends!” he extended out his hands.

_Runrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunru-_ Zeren shook it.

“Zeren”

-=-----=-=-=-=

A year later, Zeren was dressing Zhengting in black robes.

Both of them were quiet, today there’s a funeral ceremony, for the eldest son.

Zeren was quiet, slightly mourning. Lord Seunghyuk wasn’t close to him but he had admired him. He was kind, just, and wise. _Who wouldn’t like him?_

The ceremony went forward and Zeren took the time to observe his master’s features. The blankness in Zhengting’s face unnerved him, to say the least. He didn’t know if his lord would suddenly cry or laugh.

And that terrified Zeren.

=-=-=-=-=-===-=-=

Zeren followed Zhengting back to his chambers after the ceremony.

Quietly helping him with his robes until Zhengting burst into fits of laughter.

Zeren was horrified. Seunghyuk was his brother, _granted that it was only on their father’s side,_ but they were brothers nonetheless.

_Surely he wouldn’t want the death of his own brother?_

Zeren told himself, _lied to himself._ Because Zhengting only cared about power.

At least it was over now. Zhengting would be the heir and have that power he always wanted.

Zeren felt his blood run cold.

He took a quick glance at Zhengting’s expression. Blank, as if unaffected by the news.

But Zeren knew better. Zhengting’s mind is only filled with one thing, killing the heir.

_Killing Euiwoong_

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Zeren felt nervous. He wasn’t sure if Zhengting would actually try to kill Euiwoong. Happiness at Seunghyuk’s demise was one thing. Actual murder is an entirely different matter.

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He had thought Zhengting would be next in line, it was obvious. _Zhengting was the second eldest son after all!_

But instead, the lord chose Euiwoong, born from his first wife.

He ran to Zhengting’s chambers, with no clue what to do. Then he spotted him, _Zhengting._

A guy was giving him a bouquet of flowers. Surprisingly Zhengting accepted with a smile, rather than his usual scoff to anyone who is below him (Which is almost everyone since they were the more powerful lords in the area.

He took a good look at the guy. Zeren recognized him as one of the many assistants of the household doctors, Wenjun.

Zeren felt the nervousness swell inside him again. Zhengting normally never interact with someone like Wenjun, he was planning something.

“Zeren!” Zhengting waved at him, mischevious glint in his eyes. Zeren wanted to run but he doesn’t, _he never does._

“I want you to get all the sap in these flowers, be quick” Zhengting tossed the bouquet Wenjun gave. He caught it, few of the petals falling from the throw.

“Yes, my lord”

“Oh” Zhengting turned around quickly from going on his way before stopping. “Be careful with it”

=-=-=-=

Euiwoong was dead.

Zhengting killed h- no.

_Zeren killed him._

Another person’s blood was on his hands again. Zeren wanted to vomit. Zhengting said it’ll get better soon.

And it did.

Every time he had to make an accident when Zhengting was going to be in an unfavourable marriage, he barely flinched. There was no nervousness when he drops whatever Wenjun got for Zhengting in the drinks or food of others. He never vomits when he hanged bodies of Zhengting’s enemies.

It did get better, he felt numb and blood didn’t bother him. But at the same time, it got worse.

_So much worse._

He could see Euiwoong in his dreams, foam trickling down his chin. He could hear the cries and screams of the dead. He could feel the blood in his hands, no matter how hard he tried to wash it away.

He was tired. He wanted to stop this. He wanted to disobey orders. He wanted to _runrunrunrunrunrurnrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrun-_

But he never does.

=-=-=-=-=

Zeren ran, his breath rapid. He ran, his eyes never leaving his target.

_Faster_

He didn’t dare look away from the person he was chasing. He couldn’t let him down. He just had to run faster and he’ll be okay.

And then he heard him yelled. He tripped.

He caught up to him, his knife pointing at his target.

“Z-zeren please… please let me go” he begged.

“Lord Hyungseob I- I’m sorry” he whispered.

“You don’t have to do this Zeren. I can run, _we can run._ Please Zeren, I’m begging you”

“I…” This is it, this is his way, he can finally be free. Then, Zhengting’s face popped in his mind. “I can’t!”. Zeren shook his head “He’ll find me! He will be angry with me; I don’t want to make him mad”.

“I can’t let that happen…” Zeren muttered knife pointed at Hyungseob.

Zeren looked at him in the eye, and he saw it.

_Fear_

The same fear he felt, both of them were just scared of Zhengting.

Scared of Zhengting.

He can’t run, no matter how hard he tries he can’t run. But maybe… Maybe Hyungseob could run.

“Go…” he whispered, dropping his knife.

Hyungseob smiled sadly “Thank you”

When Zeren picked up the knife, he was long gone.

Zeren went back, killing a boar he had spotted and took its heart out. Wrapping it in dark cloth, he went back to Zhengting.

_He still can’t run._

**Author's Note:**

> this is the suckiest of the suckiest of all my fics.


End file.
